Our amputation surgery was 21 short days ago, and while we initially doubted the decision we made for our girl, today we are filled with gratitude in seeing how well she’s recovering and how her quality of life has rebounded ten fold. Although we’re nervous about starting a course of chemotherapy tomorrow, we know the time we’ve gained with our Margie is truly a gift. She’s played in the snow, we go on walks, she’s recently learned to ‘sit’ again without having to lay down and she’s getting more snuggles than ever before. Thanks to this community for your support and continued positivity.
While we recover, we’re filled with hope and we are so grateful we still get time with this beautiful dog soul. She’s making more progress with each new day. I’m grateful for the kind support and valuable tips we’ve received from this online community. Thank you!
We’re three days into our recovery-from-amputation journey and it’s time to celebrate!; today is Margie’s 11th birthday!!! Although she’s probably questioning the ‘gift’ we got her this year, we know that we gave her the gift of more time with us, the people who love her the most.
As we begin day three, it feels like we’ve turned a corner in some positive ways. She has a bit of that sparkle back in her eyes, she ate last night for the first time since she’s been home (thanks, sliced roast beef!) and she slept better last night.
Some concerns, of course, still keep us up at night. She has shown zero interest in getting up or even trying to walk; it’s like she’s forgotten that her three remaining legs still work. We’re using a sling to try to get her up and outside to pee, but she doesn’t seem to love that. She’s been peeing about once every 24 hours right where she’s laying down, and we’re just fine with that; we quickly change her bedding under her. If anyone has advice on this topic, that would be appreciated as it’s been our greatest concern so far. If it’s not too cold out today here in Colorado, we’re going to play outside and bring her in her bed to lay in the sun on the front porch to be with us and get some fresh air. The last couple days have been some of the hardest days we’ve ever experienced as a family, but we’re going to get through this with the dog that’s helped us get through so many other difficult times.
In true 2020 fashion, this day did not go as planned. Our beautiful ole’ Margie (her 11th birthday is coming up this Thursday) went into our trusted vet for the removal of a benign lump we thought was causing her to limp. After some routine pre-surgical bloodwork and scans, bone cancer was discovered as the actual cause of the pain she’s been experiencing in the left front leg. We made the difficult choice to have the leg removed ASAP as the cancer was believed to be quite aggressive. She’s resting overnight at the vet and we’ll pick her up tomorrow. We’re sad and apprehensive but filled with so much hope at the same time; after all, she lost her leg, not her life. We’re going to jump into our new normal as soon as we get her back home with willingness to learn and grow as a family.
